Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone! Everybody ready for some trick-or-treatin? I have been having an onslaught of Halloween memories this year. I have a couple of friends who are Ga-ga over Halloween and it seems that as a teenager I was always being roped into dressing up for some party. And since I really don't like Halloween, my way of rebelling was to go as something like a garbage sack.

This year our eating habits went a little topsy turvy with the news of Nikell's Celiac and the further news of her lack of digestive enzymes making it so she couldn't have sugar of any kind. So what to do about Halloween? We sat down and talked it out and decided that a stay at the Marriott would be just the party for us. Swimming, movies, popcorn, and maybe even a little candy (and even on a school night!).

Little did my children know that the "Boo Humbug" in me was dancing with delight over skipping Halloween. No costumes to worry about. No candy to either hide from the kids or force them to eat it all in one night. I still get giddy just thinking about it.

Before my Halloween Freak Friends break down and cry over my total lack of enthusiasm over this holiday...let it be known that we DID carve pumpkins. See? I can compromise.

MOAB

Okay, so we stopped in SLC first. We bought some year passes to the Zoo! We went late and had a fabulous time because there was no one there! So, anyone want to go LATE to the zoo this year?

Then we checked into a very pet freindly Hotel Monaco. Aiddie's favorite part was our goldfish, named Dorafee, on loan from the hotel. Dorafee was the only pet we saw.

Nikell and Mialee enjoyed the luggage rack

Then it was off to MOAB!

Tree climbing? Why not? We climbed everything else...

Delicate Arch is our favorite, but it is sooo busy. We'll have to do some photoshopping and edit a few people out of our Moab memories!

Rock climbing? Definitely!

Aiddie, in typical two-year-old fashion, jumped everywhere that it was humanly possible to jump. Actually, she scrabbled up like a pro. Then she jumped down. Whether we had her or not..thankfully we usually had a good hold.

I swear, no one's afraid of climbing in this family...except me.

Awwwhh. Yeah, it was fun.

I am still not an idiot

It's a good thing that I am not currently blessed with superhuman strength because were I blessed with such strength I would have ripped the hood off my van this morning. You see, my sweet husband, knowing that my children often play with the lights in the van, has insured that I have a way to jump-start my vehicle. A cute little battery-powered jumper. It's light. It's easy. It's perfect. Who knew that the biggest obstacle for me to overcome would be popping the [insert angry word of your choice here] hood. I pried. I dug. I pulled. I, for the life of me, could not find that elusive little latch that releases the darn thing. Seriously. I mean it...SERIOUSLY! I closed it and pulled the latch and then felt and dug and pulled some more. I was getting foot-stomping angry and had to keep reassuring myself that "I am not an idiot." Then I did the inevitable...called the neighbor. He first asked me if I knew that there was a latch (for lack of a better word) to pull inside the vehicle wherein you "pop the hood." I, very calmly, assured him that I was not an idiot and had indeed "popped the hood" several times :). Thankfully, this man is not only a man, he is a husband and he had enough husband experience to back-pedal a bit. He felt around under the hood and pretended to be baffled too. Then he peeked under, found the latch, and kindly professed that it was in a weird location as he successfully opened the hood to my cursed vehicle. I profusely thanked him, ignoring the fact that he found it necessary to continue his lesson on how to properly "pop a hood" by pointing out where the hood holder upper thing fit into the hood holder upper hole, and told him that he might as well complete his mission of manliness and just jump the vehicle. Day saved. Mission accomplished. And, no worries, I will continue to reassure myself that "I am not an idiot."

Menu Plan Monday

In our latest adventure of Celiac Disease, my sails have been somewhat deflated. Dinner, which was already a weekly mountain to be conquered, became more of an Everest. I come up with one or two meals that might seem acceptable...but am utterly and deeply lost the rest of the week. My kids really won't eat fish or very many forms of sauteed vegetables. Some people like to call them picky--I like to call them kids. I offer and encourage tasting and even force some foods, but I remember being a kid and hating tomatoes or anything related and potatoes and vegetables in general. I grew up a bit. I've branched out a bit...But I digress.

In my darkness and confusion there was this little light. Her name is Cindy. We go back a ways. How is she my light? Her Menu Plan Monday. There were times when I would check her menu and roll my eyes in disgust because we could no longer eat such simple food. I would go in search of foods we could have (all of us, as a family) and end up walking away frustrated. But Cindy always posts. Even if there is a week where no one comments on her hard work and dedication or offers their menus in return...she would still keep posting. Why? I don't know (I have personally dappled with theories of craziness about Cindy for years), but she did. And week after week her posting encouraged me. Her ideas of returning to homemade foods intrigued me because of my new-found need to do so. She is a constant and it was somehow encouraging to me. Last week I was able to come up with a menu for the WHOLE WEEK. It was a big step. And this week again, I have a few ideas. Who knows if those ideas will come to fruition but having them makes all the difference in my sanity (and my budget).

So in case you need a few new ideas too...and BONUS they're Gluten Free (or will be by the time I get done with them)!

Monday: Rice and Meatballs

Tuesday: Thai Chicken with Peanut Butter Sauce (maybe sandwiches)

Wednesday: German Pancakes (GF experimental version or these Pancakes for Nikell and Mialee-they're super yummy and often turn out like crepes)

Thursday: Cheese Sandwiches (gotta love Udi's) and see if I can talk Jason into making GF pizza while I'm at work so Nikell and Mialee will have some pizza for the primary party on Friday!

Friday: Crock Pot Roast Beef Sandwiches

Saturday: Philly Cheesesteak Soup w/ the left-over roast

Sunday: Dinner at Fancy Nancy's for Grandpa's Birthday

And, if I am really motivated, I might just try making my own Graham Crackers to add to my arsenal of snack items to send with Nikell to preschool!

How's Your Demeanor?

I consider myself a fairly even-tempered person (except for those moments when I completely lose it). However, it has been a long-time goal of mine to be happier. Not so irritated. Not so quick to snap. And having 5 kids seems to have become a BIG reason for this. But not like you might think. Not because they irritate me (although I must admit that sometimes they do) or because they require loads and loads of patience (although, again, I must admit that sometimes they do). Nope. It's because having 5 kids is not the norm. I really didn't think it was that big of a deal until I had 5 and started getting "the look" or "the comments." And I know people are looking at me and watching my 5 little duckies following behind and they are making judgements. And for this reason I need to be happy. I made this choice and I wanted these kids. It wasn't an accident and I am in no way stuck in a situation that I did not create nor want to be in. So I need to paste a smile on my face and let the world know that I find joy in motherhood. Cuz I do. It just doesn't always show and I need to be better at it. So this week I have been workin' on my attitude and my demeanor. After all, I can tell my kids to clean their room nicely or like a raving lunatic. Either way it's gonna get done. This week I choose nice. Today I choose happiness. For this moment I choose a smile. What about you?

Call Me Lemual

I'm sure that if you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, you are familiar with the story of Nephi...and Laman and Lemual. As I child I was always quite disgusted with how much Laman and Lemual whined and complained and EVERYTHING. Now, as an adult, I have come to realize that for a very long time Laman and Lemual actually eventually did what was right. They seemed to always come around after they got their feet stomping and whining out of the way. Whereas Nephi simply obeyed. So, who am I? Lemual. Or Laman. Take your pick. I always come around, but I do like to whine on the way.

As we have discovered the source of Nikell's sickness I have done my fair share of whining. And yet every time I do whine I get flashes of friends whose kids will probably never walk or who have even lost their precious little ones. So, really, I have absolutely no right to whine. And so I will now press forward with a brightness of hope and with a thankful heart that God saw fit to answer our prayers and provide the way for our child to become well again. Because, really, we are so thankful...

In Other News...

Jason's sister had a cute little baby girl. We set these cousins down by each other and Kiella was okay with it until....

Violet wanted to snuggle and Mackson wanted to explore. Poor kid was being attacked on all sides!

And...Jason has been letting his hair grow out (meaning he hasn't cut it). He has porcupine hair. It literally stands up straight until it is longer than 3 inches and heavy enough to be weighed down. We were getting ready for church the other day when he came in with this cool hair-do. I alternately laughed and pleaded for him to not go out in public. Mostly, though, I laughed and laughed until I cried.

This is him humoring me while I am taking pictures and laughing hysterically.